2016 in close up.

Welcome to Our Garden@19 in 2017

This is the time of year when we think about the new year and reflect on the old one.

The pictures below are close up photographs from Our garden@19 taken during the year.

Corylus avellana 'Contorta'

Iris foetidissima seeds.

 Dicentra 'Stuart Bootman'.

 Geranium sambor and Bumble Bee.

Aquilegia alba.

 Viola heartease and an unknown variety.

 Iris palliida subsp. pallida.

 Polygonatum x Hybridum Striatum.

 Epimedium x Rubrum.

 Asplenium scolopendrium Cristatum Group.

Athyrium Niponicum Pictum.

 Paeonia 'White Wings'.

 Cirsium rivulare 'Trevor's Blue Wonder'.

Hydrangea quercifolia Burgundy.

Acer griseum.

Where would we be without the 'Web'?

A frozen spiky metal Lily!

Birds are an important part of my every day life in Our Garden@19.

This is the first film I have tried to post, taken through the dinning room window, Gold Finches feeding on Sunflower Hearts.

 I hope it works!

The new years come, the old years go,

We know we dream, we dream we know.

We rise up laughing with the light,

We lie down weeping with the night.

We hug the world until it stings,

We curse it then and sigh for wings.

We live, we love, we woo, we wed,

We wreathe our brides, we sheet our dead.

We laugh, we weep, we hope, we fear,

And that’s the burden of the year.

Ella Wheeler Wilcox, “The Year” (1910)

I hope all your dreams and plans come true for 2017.

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Summer Tour (Part One).

Blogging has been a little sparse lately what with the open gardens in June, neither of us enjoying the best of health this summer followed by a holiday to help recharge the batteries.

Summer has now arrived at Our Garden@19, I have taken the camera around to record what is flowering, there is enough for two posts, this is part one.

The first to greet us as we go out through the dinning room doors is the Geranium 'Rozanne' growing in pots, it flowers non stop as it is sterile...

...the Dahlias in the raised beds edging the patio are now responding to the warm weather, this is my favourite, David Howard...

...along side is this lovely red Pom Pom D. Tam Tam...

...also D. 'Twynings After Eight', with its delicate pink veining...

...and the red 'Bishop of Llandaff.

Through the arch into the Blue Border is an unknown apricot dahlia with Lychnis coronia, surrounded by Persicaria 'Firetail' and right at the back Veronicastrum 'Fascination'.

Veronicastrum 'Fascination'.

The Viola cornuta 'Alba' is a wonderful value plant, grown from seed over ten years ago, it flowers non stop from June through to autumn, only requiring shearing off before winter...

...also in the white garden is Astrantia major, much loved by pollenating insects.

The colourful shrub Lycesteria formosa 'Golden Lanterns'...

...is accompanied by, Clematis 'Mme Julia Correvon', one of several Clematis now flowering...

...C. 'Perle d'Azur'...

...climbing high into the Prunus serrula is the Japanese Clematis fusca, with its furry small bell like flowers...

...in the white garden, new this year, C. 'Mrs George Jackman' is announcing her arrival...

...as is C. ? from next door's garden, (they don't know its name), it obviously has no respect for the colour theme!

I hope you have enjoyed this first part of Our Garden@19 summer garden tour, what is representing summer in your garden?

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November Colour?

The weather recently has not been conducive to strolling around the garden. 

Venturing out on Sunday to check for any wind damage and relieved to find everything intact, I fetched the camera to record what was flowering here in November. 

The Cobaea scandens, which I have posted about before, is still rampantly growing in all directions. This stem is half way up through the cherry tree by the patio. the majority of the blooms have been purple, it is nice to see some white ones.

The other rampant annuals are the Nasturtiums, this one has self sown from last year.

The Hakonechloa macro 'Aureola' adds a splash of bright green in a pot on the patio...

...also in a pot is the non stop flowering Geranium 'Rozanne'.

The evergreen Viburnum tinus provides a flowering screen to the water buts at this time of year.

Through the Vitis 'Spectchley Red' covered arch...

...to the mixed border where the late flowering Eupatorium macula. 'Chocolate', with its chocolate coloured leaves and white flowers...

...and the Hydrangea 'Blue Wave', whose white flowers have a faint hint of blue in our soil, providing the only flower colour in this area.

It is amazing when walking around your own garden, how you can miss a plant in flower, I suddenly noticed the flowers on the Viburnum f 'candidissimum'...

...I  don't think I have seen so many flowers on it before...

...close to the buds are little, tight clusters of scent.

Writing a garden blog, along with taking photos, encourages you to look closer at your garden, it is easy to just go out and work in your own garden and not stop to look around.
I have observed since writing about Our Garden@19 how some colours appear to dominate at different times of year.
In these photos white is, perhaps, surprisingly the main colour.

What colour dominates your garden at this time of year?

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'Mad dogs and Englishmen'. Garden Tour.

Hello, my name is Murphy, you may of read about me in 'The Team'.

I haven't taken you on a garden tour since March.

My Mistress, Mary...

... the love of my life is on holiday in Spain, apparently at midday the temperature reaches 40c
and only 'Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun'.
The Head Gardener and Head of Catering (whom I am particularly fond of) have been left to look after me.
I thought I would help the HG with this garden tour.
We will start in the south facing front garden, where the 'CATS' sunbathe...

...enjoying the sunshine is an Aeonium...

....and Galtonia Viridiflora.

On the patio Hosta 'The Prince of Wales' is looking very Regal...

The HG is pleased with this new Allium that is growing in an old tin bath, which he first mentioned Here

A. Red Mohican.

Coreopsis 'Sterntaler' along with Geranium 'Rozanne' provide a cheerful welcome in pots on the patio either side of the dining room doors ( One of my favourite rooms)

Red currants are trained on the fence by the herb garden...

...continuing the Red theme is Lily 'Landini'...

...and Dahlia 'Bishop of Llandaff'...

It is not just Labradors that come in yellow or black,

Alcea rosea 'Nigra', Hollyhock to you and I.

Moving from the patio we pass the new Hot Bed planted with mainly Dahlias.. 

D. After Eight.

D.David Howard.

D. 'Karma Choc'

Pom Pom.

D. coccinea var.Palmeri.

 ...and Cosmos bipinnatus 'Rubenza'..

...and Tagetes patula 'Cinnabar' the seed of which HG purchased from Great Dixter.

This self seeded poppy, the HG thinks is wonderful...

along with the Ladybird poppy.

Please follow me this way past....

...the White & Green garden with Lychnis Alba, Erygium Giganteum...

...and Astrantia Major visited by a Meadow Brown butterfly.

Through the arch to the main central borders...

..flowering at the rear is Thalictrum flavum subsp.glaucum alongside Campanula lactiflora 'Prichard's Variety' (Try saying that after too many Bonio's)

An unknown Phlox from Great Aunt's garden...

A quick turn around the Never Ending Woodland Walk ( HG delusions of grandeur)...

...pass the Veronicastrum Fascination...

...and Lysimachia ciliate 'Firecracker'.

HG allows me to sleep in his potting shed while he is 'working'.

I hope you have enjoyed this garden tour, I am off to see if there is any cat food left in the kitchen!

''SHE'S BACK"!

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